The Law Society’s benchers have approved a two-year part-time practising fees pilot program, commencing April 1, 2022. This exciting initiative will help promote greater equity, diversity and inclusion in Manitoba’s legal profession.
Offering a part-time practising fee for lawyers who practice part-time to accommodate their child care or other regular family care-giving responsibilities is a way of recognizing that not all lawyers fit the traditional model of full-time practice. The goal of this initiative is to help reduce the rates of attrition of young female lawyers from private practice and provide flexibility to lawyers with significant, ongoing care-giving responsibilities for other family members. The pilot program will provide the Law Society an opportunity to gauge the level of interest in part-time practice before making any final decisions with respect to a part-time practising fee structure.
Important Update:
The Part-Time Practising Fees Pilot Program has been extended until March 31, 2027. The Law Society is looking to expand the eligibility criteria for the Pilot to incorporate feedback received from the profession. Once the new eligibility criteria have been finalized, details will be posted on our website.
Participate in the Pilot Program
Eligibility for Part-Time Practising Fees
Lawyers are eligible to pay part-time practising fees if they meet the following criteria:
- They work in private practice.
- They work part-time, which is defined as no more than 750 billable hours annually in total and having maximum gross billings of no more than $80,000 annually.
And
3. They are either:
a parent or legal guardian
who works part-time to accommodate their child-care responsibilities. Child-care responsibilities are defined as having primary responsibility for providing care for a child who is:
- 12 years of age or under; or
- Over 12 years of age and who, due to a significant medical condition or disability experiences physical, cognitive or behavioural barriers to performing age- appropriate independent activities of daily living for an indefinite duration.
Or
a care-giver
who works part-time to accommodate care-giving responsibilities* for other family members who, due to chronic illness, disability or other cause, require regular, ongoing care and/or supervision for a period of more than 90 days.
( * This includes requiring assistance and/or supervision on a regular basis with: personal care such as bathing, feeding, dressing, grooming/hygiene, mobility, toileting, administration of medication; routine activities such as meal preparation, laundry, housekeeping, transportation and shopping; and arranging for supports/system navigation/community access, such as recreational activities, support groups, medical follow up and counselling.)
Part-Time Practising Fees
Lawyers who meet the eligibility criteria will pay 50% of the full-time practising fees. This does not include the insurance levy portion of the fees, of which they must pay 100%.
How to Participate
As of March 1, 2022, lawyers who expect to meet the eligibility criteria can choose to pay part-time practising fees for the 2022/2023 year by completing and submitting the Part-time Practising Certification & Status Management Form through the Law Society member portal.
Lawyers who pay part-time practising fees must track their billable hours and gross billings to ensure they meet the part-time eligibility criteria. The Law Society has the right to audit members and those who fail to meet the criteria may be subject to disciplinary action.
If you realize that you have or expect to exceed the billable hours ceiling or the gross billings ceiling for the year, or if you no longer have child-care or care-giving responsibilities, you should immediately notify the Law Society of your change in status to full-time practicing by completing and resubmitting the Part-time Practising Certification & Status Management Form through the Law Society member portal.
Follow a manual added link
To Participate in the Part-Time Practising Fees Pilot Program
Apply Now
Frequently Asked Questions
Review the following frequently asked questions for further details about the pilot program and how to apply.
1. I am in-house counsel. Am I eligible for part-time practising fees?
The part-time practising fees option is only available to lawyers in private practice. This initiative is focused on retention in private practice. Other jurisdictions have also limited part-time practising fees to lawyers in private practice. Often lawyers who work in-house or for government have their fees paid by their employer.
2. How do I participate in the part-time practising fees pilot program?
Once you determine you meet the eligibility criteria, you can complete a Part-time Practising Certification & Status Management Form and submit it to the Law Society through the member portal. This form will be available as of March 1, 2022. Your form will be reviewed and if approved you will be issued an invoice for part-time practising fees. For lawyers opting in to the pilot at the start of the year, eligibility is based on your anticipated gross billings and billable hours for the year.
3. What if I chose part-time status at the start of the year but no longer meet the eligibility criteria?
If you realize that you have or expect to exceed the billable hours ceiling or the gross billings ceiling for the year, or if you no longer have child-care or care-giving responsibilities, you should immediately notify the Law Society of your change in status to full-time practicing by completing and resubmitting the Part-time Practising Certification & Status Management Form through the Law Society member portal. A new pro-rated invoice will then be issued to you.
If you do not change your status and it comes to the Law Society’s attention, you may be subject to disciplinary action.
4. Can I decide to switch to part-time practice and pay part-time practising fees in the middle of the year?
Yes, you can request to switch to part-time practice by completing the Part-time Practising Certification & Status Management Form through the Law Society member portal. Your request will be reviewed by Law Society staff and if approved you may be eligible to receive a pro-rated refund. Please allow up to two weeks for your request to be fully processed.
5. If I am approved to participate in the part-time practising fees pilot, do I still need to complete 12 hours of MCPD per year?
Yes. It is critical that lawyers stay current on developments in the law. Twelve hours is a minimum requirement and is manageable, even for members who practice part-time.
6. Why do part-time practising fees not include the insurance levy?
Manitoba is covered under the Canadian Lawyers Insurance Association (CLIA). CLIA provinces do not have the ability to individually underwrite given the relatively small size of the program. There are an insufficient number of insured lawyers in all of CLIA to subsidize a discounted insurance levy for part-time lawyers, so a part-time insurance levy is not an option.
7. How will the part-time practising fees option be regulated?
A lawyer requesting to pay part-time practising fees must certify that they meet or expect to meet all of the eligibility criteria and must track their billable hours and gross billings. The Law Society has the right to audit members. Making a false certification to the Law Society carries severe consequences.
8. Will the introduction of part-time practising fees impact the Law Society’s budget or full-time practising fees?
The Law Society will absorb the lost revenue resulting from members switching from full-time to part-time practice for the duration of the pilot program. The Law Society will review the data gathered from the pilot program and consider any potential budgetary impacts along with the results from the pilot program in determining the next steps.
Terms/Definitions
9. What is meant by private practice?
Private practice means practising with a law firm/law corporation and excludes any government, educational, in-house or legal aid position.
10. What is meant by care-giving responsibilities?
This includes requiring assistance and/or supervision on a regular basis with: personal care such as bathing, feeding, dressing, grooming/hygiene, mobility, toileting, administration of medication; routine activities such as meal preparation, laundry, housekeeping, transportation and shopping; and arranging for supports/system navigation/community access, such as recreational activities, support groups, medical follow up and counselling.
11. What is meant by billable hours?
Billable hours refers to time spent on billable tasks. It does not include time spent on pro bono work or time spent furthering and managing the business of the lawyer’s practice.
We recognize that not all lawyers bill by the hour. These lawyers would need to track what they would consider to be “billable time” for the purpose of establishing their eligibility according to this criteria.
The goal of a billable hours cap is not to be burdensome and technical, but to accurately reflect a part-time practice.
12. What is meant by gross billings?
Gross billings refer to the amount a lawyer bills, regardless of how much they collect.
The goal of a gross billings cap is not to create a financial accounting burden, but to accurately reflect a part-time practice.
Background Information & Questions
13. Why did the Law Society create a part-time practising fees pilot?
In 2019 the Manitoba Bar Association’s Women Lawyers’ Forum asked the Law Society to consider recognizing part-time status by offering discounted fees for lawyers who practice part-time. The basis for the request was that lawyers who practice part-time are disproportionately young mothers who reduce their hours of work to care for their children, making it difficult to earn enough income to cover their fees and insurance and causing some to leave the profession. Part-time practising fees are a potential tool to help address this issue. For example, female lawyers may be more likely to return to private practice after maternity leave if they can ease into it on a part-time basis with a reduced membership fee.
We conducted a survey of the profession in the fall of 2020 and heard from 479 members and students, representing an estimated response rate of 15%. The majority of respondents (82%) were in favour of implementing part-time fees.
Offering discounted practising fees for lawyers who practice part-time to accommodate their child care or other care-giving responsibilities is a way of recognizing that not all lawyers fit the traditional model of full-time practice. The goal is of this initiative is to help reduce the rates of attrition of female lawyers from private practice. Exploring these options is consistent with the Law Society’s commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion in the regulation of the legal profession and in the delivery of legal services.
14. How may this benefit the public?
It is a loss to the profession and the public when skilled lawyers leave because of issues around practice flexibility and finances. Encouraging lawyers to stay in practice part-time, could expand the pool of lawyers available to assist the public with legal matters, resulting in an increase in access to justice. Recognizing and supporting lawyers’ diverse backgrounds and circumstances also helps foster more diversity in the legal profession.
15. Who can I contact if I have questions?
For questions about eligibility for the pilot, please contact:
Alissa Schacter, Equity Officer and Policy Counsel at aschacter@lawsociety.mb.ca or call 204-926-2029.
For questions about the payment of fees, invoices or refunds, please contact:
Sandra Alleyne | Chief Financial Officer at salleyne@lawsociety.mb.ca or call 204-926-2054.
